EU leaders urge Egypt to seek peaceful resolution
Almaty. February 1. Kazakhstan Today - The European Union foreign ministers held a meeting on Monday in Brussels where the European leaders urged Egypt to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis and avoid further violence against protesters, the agency reports.
European Union foreign ministers tackled two Arab hotspots, Egypt and Tunisia, during a meeting in Brussels. In a statement to reporters, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Egyptian authorities to immediately release all peaceful demonstrators in detention, Voice of America reported.
She also stressed the importance of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
"We believe these must be respected by the Egyptian authorities and the legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people should be responded to," Ashton said. "Their aspirations for a just, for a better future should be met, with urgent, concrete and decisive answer and with real steps."
The appeal came as Egypt was swept by more protests, with opposition groups calling for a million demonstrators to return to the streets of Cairo.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Mubarak in a phone call on Sunday that she expects him and his newly nominated government to grant freedom of information and the right to assemble, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement, Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review reported.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, also speaking Sunday at the African Union's summit in Addis Ababa, called on the Egyptian government to respect fundamental freedoms and human rights.
The 27-member European Union has longstanding ties with Egypt and the bloc has refrained from strongly criticizing the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
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Today we sign the Treaty on Deepening and Expanding Allied Relations, a historical document, which will give a new impulse to the development of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz ties," the Kazakh President said.
Our bilateral trade and economic cooperation strengthens year by year. Last year, commodity turnover reached $1.5 billion having increased by 26%. We set a goal to raise this indicator to $2 billion. A number of promising projects are implemented in this area. In whole, the agreements in trade-economic sector are fulfilled," the Kazakh President noted.
Holding the Days of Culture has already turned into a good tradition. We exchange experience in education. The contacts between the youth have intensified. Today we will open the monument to Manas in Astana, which proves a high level of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations. We are interested in bringing them to a brand new level," he stated.
Kazakhstan is our close partner, fraternal nation and one of the major trade partners. Kazakhstan is a priority in our foreign policy. There are no politcal or regional disputes between our countries. Since the first days of my presidency, you have constantly supported me in international structures and issues related to the expansion of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations. We are ready to provide all possible assistance to the fraternal Kazakh people in flood relief efforts. Our countries enjoy centuries-long friendship, fraternity, good-neighborly relations, common culture, spirituality and religion. I am confident that our mutual cooperation, strategic partnership will strengthen further," said Sadyr Zhaparov.
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The scale and consequences of the natural disaster require from us radically new approaches for the proper use of resources and avoidance of similar incidents in the future. In this matter we are particularly interested in the best practices and experience of European countries and companies. It is important to synchronise the efforts of the Government of Kazakhstan with the assistance programmes of the European Union," Olzhas Bektenov said.
The water issue is in the priority of our co-operation with Central Asia. Like other natural resources, water must have its price in order to be used efficiently. This will stimulate the introduction of more efficient technologies, and many European companies are ready to work in this direction," Kestutis Jankauskas said and confirmed the readiness to ensure the transfer of knowledge and technologies in the field of sustainable management of water basins and rivers.
The Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set a task for the Government - to develop the agro-industrial complex and ensure rational use of water resources. Agriculture and food industry are among the most important sectors of our economy. We have a huge potential for the production of high-quality and organic agricultural products and foodstuffs. We are interested in increasing food exports to the EU market. Taking into account the advanced agrarian technologies of European companies, we invite you to create joint projects for the production and processing of agricultural products. For our part, we are ready to make every effort to create a favourable environment for doing business," Olzhas Bektenov said.
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An important direction of our interaction is the expansion of investment cooperation, supported by new joint industrial projects, including in the fields of petrochemicals and metallurgy," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised and noted the significant potential for diversification of trade relations.
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